TACTICAL VISION SYSTEM

• US 20110261176A1
• Filed: 02/09/2011
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Drew Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Drew Incorporated
• Inventors: OTERO, William, CHAMBERS, John, MONAGHAN, Andrew J. SR.
• Granted Patent: US 9,560,324 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/61
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A system comprising at least a wearable control unit, a camera apparatus and a wearable vision apparatus. The wearable control unit may receive information from the camera apparatus and may process the received camera information. For example, the received camera information may be thermal information or infrared information. The wearable control unit may process the received camera information to video information that may be transmitted to the wearable vision apparatus. The wearable vision apparatus may then display the received video information.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a wearable control unit configured to at least receive camera information, to process the received camera information and to output video information;

a camera apparatus configured to interact with the control unit by providing camera information to the control unit; and

a wearable vision apparatus configured to interact with the control unit by receiving and displaying the video information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wearable control unit interacts with at least one of the camera apparatus and the wearable vision apparatus via wired connections.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wearable control unit interacts with at least one of the camera apparatus and the wearable vision apparatus via short-range wireless connections.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the wearable control unit comprises a user interface for configuring at least one of the camera apparatus and the wearable vision apparatus.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the user interface provides access to control one or more of activation of the camera apparatus, sensitivity of the camera apparatus and how the processed image information is displayed by the wearable vision apparatus.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit further comprises a removable battery.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is incorporated within a tactical vest or a bullet-proof vest.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is a self-contained apparatus that can be removably mounted on a tactical vest or a bullet-proof vest.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera apparatus is mounted on eyewear or on a helmet.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the camera apparatus is detachable from the eyewear or the helmet.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera information is at least one of thermal information or infrared information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control unit process processes the at least one of thermal information or infrared information to yield video information.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the wearable vision apparatus comprises a binocular video display configured to display the video information to a user'"'"'s left and right eyes.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the wearable vision apparatus comprises a monocular video display configured to display the video information to a user'"'"'s left or right eye.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the wearable vision apparatus is incorporated in eyewear, the eyewear being configured to allow a user to see through the eyewear or to view video information displayed by the wearable vision apparatus without adjusting the eyewear.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the eyewear further comprises a communication subsystem including at least a microphone and earpiece.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the communication subsystem is configured to interact with the wearable control unit via a wired connection or short-range wireless connection, the communication subsystem being controlled by a user interface in the wearable control unit.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the eyewear is tactical eyewear.

19. A method, comprising:

receiving camera information in a wearable control unit from a camera apparatus;

processing the received camera information in the wearable control unit to create video information; and

transmitting the video information to a wearable vision apparatus configured to display the video information.

20. A computer program product comprising computer executable code recorded on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:

code configured to cause a wearable control unit to receive camera information from a camera apparatus;

code configured to cause the wearable control unit to process the received camera information to create video information; and

code configured to cause the wearable control unit to transmit the video information to a wearable vision apparatus configured to display the video information.